Batumi Chess Olympiad Football InterContinental Cup

First Football Intercontinental Cup among participants and representatives of chess federations

ARKADY STARS IN FOOTBALL INTERCONTINENTAL CUP

The Arkady Dvorkovich Team organized a big sport event on a free day of the Olympiad: the first Football Intercontinental Cup among participants and representatives of chess federations. The tournament saw football stars such as Dmitri Sychev, Dmitri Bulykin, Florent Malouda, Clarence Seedorf, and Kakha Kaladze, grandmasters Evgenij Najer, Vladimir Potkin, Pavel Tregubov, Victor Bologan, Smbat Lputian, Emil Sutovsky, FIDE presidential candidate Arkady Dvorkovich and a member of his ticket Mahir Mammedov as well as former European basketball champion Sergei Bykov.

The event was an all-play-all tournament. The winner is Team America with 5 points (goal difference 8-5). Team Eurasia was edged out by a tiebreak (6-4). Georgia is on the third place with 4 points (6-7), while Africa is the fourth – 1 (6-10).

Arkady Dvorkovich, FIDE presidential candidate:

– I think that sport events of this kind are a fine chance for chess players to get together and have some rest at Olympiads. As they say, it will give them something to remember! Football stars helped a lot: Seedorf, Malouda, Kaladze, Sychev, and Bulykin. Of course, everybody has got double positive impressions from everything.

It is a game: somebody plays better, somebody plays worse. Step by step, we have found common ground with our teammates. After the first match, it became more or less clear how everybody played and we could start developing schemes and combinations. Of course, we grew tired in the end, but, in general, I think everybody is satisfied.

– Are you satisfied with your own play?

– No, I am not. I played normally in the first match, but then I ran out of energy a little bit. It was rather hard as a result of a long break in trainings, and also humidity is very high in Batumi.

– Do you plan to organize such events on a regular basis?

– Yes, such events are needed during mass chess tournaments such as Chess Olympiads, World Cups, etc. Gala matches, where, for example, best chess players of the year can be rewarded, are also suitable as well as matches with football legends.

– What are your general impressions of the Chess Olympiad?

– The organization becomes better step by step; first days' turmoil is gradually transforming into a normal course of affairs. People do their best to make everybody feel comfortable. The tournament fight is very interesting and there are practically no easy matches.

– Did you like Bermuda Party?

– Bermuda Party is a long-standing tradition of Chess Olympiads. It is fine when representatives of more than 180 countries get together and have fun!